Antemortem
by Mossadartninja
Summary: I meant to post this before Shiva aired (in my time zone)


1-15

He could see her silhouette as she walked past the streetlight again. She had been walking up and down the street for nearly half an hour before Gibbs finally got out of the car and went over to her.

"Ziva, you can't keep torturing yourself like this. Come on." He took her arm and at first she resisted, but then she let him steer her towards the car.

"Where are we going?" she asked in a choked voice.

"Some place better," he patted her shoulder. They drove the in silence until Gibbs turned onto the street Tony lived on.

"Gibbs, no, I can't do this."

"You have to try." He patted her shoulder again then opened the door to get out. He walked over and opened the door for her and helped her out. She clung to his shoulder the whole walk to Tony's door. Gibbs shrugged her off as he picked the lock on the door.

"Does Tony know we are here?" Ziva mumbled.

"Nope," said Gibbs as he pushed open the door. All the lights were off and Tony obviously was not home.

"Where is he?" asked Ziva as she looked around. This was not what she had pictured Tony's apartment to look, there was only one movie poster on the wall and, _was that a fish?_ Tony had a fish. Gibbs walked over and softly placed his hand on her arm.

"Just try." She nodded wearily before sinking onto the couch. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back. She must have fallen asleep because when she opened her eyes again Gibbs was gone and Tony was standing over her.

"What are you doing here?" he scowled. He must not of liked his personal sanctuary being broken into.

"Gibbs brought me here, but trust me, I was just fine walking in the middle of the road."

"Come on," he took her hand and guided her to his bedroom.

"Whoa, Tony what are you doing?" She stopped walking and pulled against his grip.

"You sleep in my bed, I'll take the couch."

"No, Tony you do not have to. I'm fine, really."

"No, Ziva, you're not. Today in the synagogue you told me you didn't want sympathy, but you're going to get it anyway." He pulled her into the bedroom and he could hear her snicker a little when she saw his bed. "Glad that can make you laugh," he muttered as he took her jacket off her shoulders. All she was wearing was a small dressy vest and tank top. He couldn't help but think about what he could do right now if the circumstances were different. She didn't give him a chance to though because she fell onto the bed and curled up into a little ball. He pulled the blankets over her as she drifted into a deep, nightmare haunted sleep.

Tony woke with a start in the middle of the night, his back felt stiff. _Why am I on the couch? _He thought. He could hear whimpering coming from his bedroom.

"Ziva," he called, but the whimpering continued unbroken. He got up and walked to the bedroom door.

"Ziva," he called again. He couldn't make out what she was saying but it didn't sound good. He pushed open the door and the whimpering grew louder as he walked to the bed.

"Ziva," he lightly placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Stop!" she yelled bolting up right. She swung her hand at him but he caught it and their eyes met. She looked about ready to break down again.

"Ziva, are you okay?"

"No," a single tear fell down her face before she collapsed into Tony. He let her cry. He moved his body around so he could lie down with her lying on his chest. She gripped his shirt in her fists as she continued to cry. He softly stroked the back of her head and her back.

"It will all be o-"

"Don't you dare say it will all be okay!" she cried.

"You can't keep thinking like that, or it won't. Think happy thoughts."

"I have no happy thoughts."

_I'm going to regret this,_ he thought. He lifted her chin with his finger and bent his head and gently kissed her lips. He felt her body tense, then relax as they continued to kiss. He pulled back and looked into her eyes.

"Are those thoughts happy enough for you?"

"I think I need more." She moved her body so she was completely lying on top of him now and then kissed him again.

"I never thought two people would be able to fit in this bad," Tony said pulling back for a second.

"Well are not exactly lying next to each other," Ziva laughed, which made Tony smile.

"It's good to hear you laugh again." She smiled before softly kissing him again.

"And who can say no to that smile?" She nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck and wrapped her arms around his chest. He stroked her hair again and waited until she fell back to sleep before beginning to ease himself out from under her. She grabbed his arm as he began to move.

"Don't go," she whispered, pulling him back towards her. He eased his body back into a more comfortable position on the bed, shifting Ziva's weight a little too. They lay there, sleeping all night. Ziva had taken her hand and intertwined her fingers though Tony's. He smiled and wrapped his arm more tightly around her waist.


End file.
